Method and apparatus for removing liquid and salt deposits from gas wells



. SWEETMAN.

IIIETHGD AND APPARATUS FOR REIVIOVING LIQUID AND SAL'I DEPOSITS FROM GASWELLS.

FILED .IULY 18| 1921.

I xu Patented Feb. 27, 1923.

.Missen lvr- ,SWEETMan OF KANSAS -QITYf Masons.;

maeeeavermsews .FOR IREMCWING .LIQUID ,WnLLs.'

i apprenne@ 1111.5' 18,

T0y @ZL/whom concern:

MAN, a.. citizen--oE/the `United States', residing at' .KansasCity,infthe county of Jackson andiState. oflillissouri, have .invented.certain new and useful `Improvements in AMethods mand' `ApparatuslforyRemoving Liquid and *Salt Deposits from (irasy Wells, -ofvvhichr thefollowingiisa specification. `f

invention pertains to an improved met l, d and apparatuslfor"removingliquid and 4salt.deposits Vfrom gas wells. j

"f'lihe'jmainfob-ject `ofL the invention is to pro'- vida-means .whiehmay-be attached to afwell casingwherebylluidunder pressure may becanse'dstoflforeelthe water upwardly and out gf 1 thefwell, previsionvalso 1 being made forv the introductonwof-Y-water into thewell fincase` thewell-shouldbecome -closed-from-'salt 4 depositstherein, thiswitha view of dissolvf Airigtlie salt andthereafter forcing the .saltl,,water[from thewell.

' One embodiment of the lapparatus byk which -the' operation may beeffected, is showninthe annexed drawings, wherein a Lwellt'ubing is'illustrated y in section, together l with the` pertinent apparatusemployed 'or lwithdrawing the gas, andflikewise the neces'- saryapparatus for introducing the solvent forwthe salt onother inorustationsinto f' the well, Vthe.showingbeingp more or less ,diagrammatic.

` i In. aid-figure, 1 denotesv the4 well tube or casingiand 1.2i ai.head secured thereto, from t y1"Inlttlng.they gas under pressure topassinto which extends an off-take pipe 3, having a shut-oil' valve'Allocated therein. Saidpipe 3 extends into a drip tank y5, of any apfproved form, having a float controlled valve 6 therein. An off-take 7leads from said tank to a main 8, or any other point to which the gas,in `the ordinary operation of the well, is to be delivered. yMountedwithin the pipe or casing 1, and spaced away from the interior wallthereof, is a hollow member or conduit 9, preferably formed oit a seriesof connected sections having transverse. diaphragms 10 therein whichdivide the tubular member 9 thereby 'formed into a series of chambersl1. Pipes 12 are mounted in the cross partitions 10, the lower end ofone pipe extending well down into the chamber below and terminatingshortot1 the adjacent` partition, while the upper end extends to a pointabove the partition and past the lower end of the pipe which is carriedby the par- 4provided inthe line 24.

tition next above. vThere isgthus formeda' series ofpookets orfchamberswhich areinterconnecting through the pipes 12,1the lowermost .pipeopening into ,the botto-m' of f the welL' .f -The1v uppermost pipe l1extends throughawplug'or block'l secured in the f .upplerfendofthetubular,,member 9 and has connected. thereto a i lateral branchpipe-14' SALT @miams Ramses" provided? with a? stop valvel', saidplipe'la 1-i being" in communication .withl the 'lont-take pipe 'to 'the'outerlside; of the valve 4. A 'second valve 16 is provided'.uponthettingextendingfrom theffuppermost' yipe 12. 1.17

.I denotes. a tank reservoir,`pre erably.' port- .,'ableadapted'l toiVcontain 'any liuid, as air Lga's, fundera yhigh degree ofg compression,land' isg-in communication withthe interior t y"of-*the well-tube lthrough a pipe `18,1 prb-V videdwith valves, 19 and 20. ',.Thef pipe 18,intermediate "the"` valves`,is 'provided with' a suitable .connection21,.wh-ichf. opens into-a the well tubing or casing 1.

'Inoperatiom .assuming that it bemerely f 'desired' to remove water froma gas well, valvesgfi and 15 will beclosed, valve 16 will befopened andvalve 25 closed, that'isfas- 's'.utning"tank22 is connected in. .Theopera- :tor then attaches kthe tank .17 i to the line` 18 andi opens thevalves 19 and 20, thereby perthewell casingland force the water in` the'well downwardly and then upwardly through pipesk 12, the watersuccessively passingffromone chamber 11 to the other, and finally`indingits Way through the up- .3 permost pipe 12 and. out olvalve` 16;Valve "tank 22 providedwith av filler plug-123. .Said

ftank 22'Kis provided'with an off-take orfcon- .nectiony 2415 vwhichextends through vthe `head 12 and is thus brought in communication withA valve 25 is p f 16`is then closed, valve 15 fully opened, land valveopened .to such an extent that a dif-l ferential pressure is heldbetween the well tubing andthe tubular member 9 sufiicient to liftcolumn of water which can be determined by the amount of water the wellismaking. By closing valve 15 and opening `valve 16 the operator canimmediately de,-

termine whether or not the apparatus is working properly. ,y

To utilize tank 22, valves 19, 20 and 25 are closed andthe tank filledwith water or other solvent. When the tank is filled and closed, valve25 is opened wide and valve openedenough to allow the liquid to iow intothe well at the required speed. rl`he liquid will dissolve the salt andthe elevator, that is, the tubular member 9, will carry the saltsolution out Vof the well and deposit it in the drip tank 5.

It Will, of course, be understood that the tanks 17 and 22 are additionsto the usual well equipment and are used at diierent times. They arepreferably portable so they may be employed on different wells at suchtimesas there happens to be salt present, or the Water elevator is to bestarted; or when #blowing the water out of a well that is equipped witha plain pipe inserted inside oi' theftubing and commonly known to thoseskilled in the art as a Siphon andthe gas pressure on the well is notsucient to lift the liquid. The length of the elevator tubing 9 isdetermined by the roclrpressure of the Well and the pressure carried inthe transportation line. i Y

For the purpose of further explanation, let us assume the well to be2,000 feet deep, and that Vone would put in 100 sectionsto make up thetubular member 9, eachsectiou approximately 20 feet long.r Now assumethat there is enough water coming into .the

well to put a four inch body or plug oi o ,Water into the bottom tube l2yevery few seconds. By thel time the irst body of water gets out of thetop of the well, there will be a four inch plug or body of water inleach of the 100 tubes, which would be the samey as a.. 40() inch columnof water, and

require a little less than l5 lbs. pressure'to throw the water out ofthe top, while if the tube were continuous, the water` would keep onaccumulating in the Well and continuously run back on the inner surfaceof the pipe, and finally one would get acolumn of water which wouldoverbalance the pressure, and the lwelly would then shut off. With thepresent device the water is trapped at each diaphragm or cross partition10, and from that point would be ejected to the next succeedingchamber,thus preventing it from relowing. Inv actual practice the Water does notaccumulate quite so fast as to make four yinches in the pipe every fewseconds, and,

in -fact, not' even fast enough to make one inch. The gas travels at` ahigh rate oi the use of. the present device the well is automaticallykept clean and produces its i'ull capacity at all times.

l. lin combination with a well tubing; a water conduit located Withinthe same; a portable tank adapted to contain a fluid under a high degreeof pressure; means for placing the tank in communication with thetubing; means to control the flow of Water from the conduit; and meansfor controlling the ilow of gas from the well.

f2. ln combination with a Well tubing; a

water conduit located therein, said conduit having a series of chambersin its length, f

and a tube extending" from one ychamber to the nent; a valved pipeextending from the uppermost tubetto the gas take-off; a. .valvecontrolling sald take-off; a portable tank containing a liquid underpressure;

land means for connecting said tank to the .upper portion of the wellcasing.

3. That method of removing water from `flowing gas wells which consistsinfinserting a conduit for the water within the lwell cas'- ing, saidconduit comprising a series of interconnected chambers which serve totrap the water and thereafter admitting fluid or gas vto the well casingunder pressure to force the water to flow upwardly through the conduitand to eject the same from one chamber to the neXt above and finally outof the well.

Vlhat method oit' removing water from flowing gas wells, which consistsin'insert-ing f a conduit for the water within the well casi ing, saidconduit embodying a series of intei'connecting chambers in the form oftraps` and thereafter admitting iiuid or gas to the well casing undersuihcient pressure to cause the Water to flow upwardly through the trapsin succession. i

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication. Y f

MICHAEL M. svvnnTMAN.

